Project Overview: This project involves creating a pluviometer using Arduino and an Ethernet shield to measure rainfall and display the data in real-time through a web browser or Excel. This system effectively functions as a basic weather station, DIY-style, allowing for more efficient collection and analysis of rainfall data.
Core Components:
Arduino Uno
Ethernet Shield
RTC (Real-Time Clock) Shield
Standard Tilting-Type Pluviometer
10Kohm Resistor
0.1uF Capacitor
Operating Principle:
The pluviometer measures rainfall by tilting as it collects a specific amount of water (0.2mm of rainfall), causing it to tip and empty its contents.
Arduino detects each tilting action and records the rainfall amount. Each tilt is detected through an interrupt pin on Arduino, logging 0.2mm of rainfall.
Electrical Circuit Configuration:
The circuit uses a simple resistor and capacitor to minimize the 'chattering' phenomenon of the tilting switch, ensuring that multiple signals are processed as one for accurate rainfall measurements.
Sketch (Code) Features:
Connected to the local network via an Ethernet shield, it runs a web server capable of transmitting rainfall data to a web page.
Saves rainfall data on an SD card in CSV format, which can be directly accessed through Excel.
Utilizes an RTC to timestamp the data accurately.
#include <SPI.h>
#include <SD.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include "RTClib.h"
#include <Ethernet.h>
RTC_DS1307 RTC;
byte mac[] = { 0xDE, 0xAD, 0xBE, 0xEF, 0xFE, 0xED };
byte ip[] = { 192,168,1, 130 };
EthernetServer server(80); //imposta il server a rispondere sulla porta 80
float TotPioggia;
String strNow;
boolean blnWrite=false;
void setup(){
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.println("Start");
Wire.begin(); //inizializzo libreria per protocollo I2C
RTC.begin(); //inizializzo libreria RTC
RTC.sqw(1); //0 Led off - 1 Freq 1Hz - 2 Freq 4096kHz - 3 Freq 8192kHz - 4 Freq 32768kHz
if (! RTC.isrunning()) {
Serial.println("RTC is not running!");
RTC.adjust(DateTime(__DATE__, __TIME__)); //imposta RTC con orario del pc
}
//attivo interrupt 0 dove si passa da 5V a 0V quando il pluvio bascula
attachInterrupt(0, Basculata, FALLING); //LOW CHANGE RISING FALLING
Ethernet.begin(mac, ip);
server.begin();
Serial.print("Server is at ");
Serial.println(Ethernet.localIP());
if (!SD.begin(4)) {
Serial.println("Card failed, or not present");
return;
}
Serial.println("Card initialized.");
}
void loop(){
String strTmp;
DateTime now = RTC.now();
strTmp="";
strTmp=strTmp+now.day() + "/";
strTmp=strTmp+now.month() + "/";
strTmp=strTmp+now.year() + " ";
strTmp=strTmp+now.hour() + ":";
strTmp=strTmp+now.minute() + ":";
strTmp=strTmp+now.second();
strNow=strTmp;
Serial.println(strNow);
EthernetClient client = server.available();
if (client) { //verifico esistenza connessione da parte di un client
boolean currentLineIsBlank = true;
while (client.connected()) { //ciclo fino a che la connessione del client è attiva
if (client.available()) { //verifico sempre che il client comunichi con il server
char c = client.read(); //leggo dal client la richiesta della pagina
if (c == '\n' && currentLineIsBlank) { //se la richiesta è un car di linea nuova inizio comunicazione con il client
client.println("HTTP/1.1 200 OK");
client.println("Content-Type: text/html");
client.println("Connection: close");
client.println();
client.println("<!DOCTYPE HTML>");
client.println("<html>");
client.println("<h2>Arduino: Dati acquisiti di Pluviometria:</h2>");
File htmlFile = SD.open("rain.csv");
if (htmlFile) {
while (htmlFile.available()) {
client.write(htmlFile.read());
}
// close the file:
htmlFile.close();
}
client.println("</html>");
break;
}
if (c == '\n') {
currentLineIsBlank = true;
}
else if (c != '\r') { //se ricevo dal client un carriage return
currentLineIsBlank = false;
}
}
}
delay(1);
client.stop();
}
interrupts();
delay(1000);
//se è avvenuto un interrupt, quindi una basculata, vado a scrivere sulla microSD
if (blnWrite==1) {
Serial.println("il momento di scrivere");
blnWrite=false;
//scrivo su file
File dataFile = SD.open("rain.csv", FILE_WRITE);
if (dataFile) {
dataFile.println(strNow + ";0,2;mm;<br/>");
dataFile.close();
}
else {
Serial.println("errore apertura file");
}
}
}
void Basculata(){
noInterrupts();
TotPioggia=TotPioggia+0.2; //conta la pioggia
Serial.println(strNow);
Serial.println(TotPioggia);
blnWrite=true; //segnalo che è avvenuta una basculata
}
Potential Derivative Project Ideas:
Environmental Monitoring System: Integrates various environmental data such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed alongside rainfall for comprehensive monitoring.
Agricultural Automation System: Uses rainfall data to automate irrigation systems for crops, optimizing water usage based on actual weather conditions.
Urban Drainage System Management: Analyzes and improves the efficiency of urban drainage systems using rainfall data.
Weather Data Sharing Platform: Develops a community or app that shares and utilizes data collected from Arduino-based rainfall sensors.
This project serves as an excellent example of how Arduino and basic electronic components can be used to create a simple yet effective weather observation tool. It is not only suitable for DIY enthusiasts but also serves educational purposes, helping to understand and utilize meteorological data effectively.
